Introduction
Here are some raw numbers about the costliest military program in U.S. history: The F-35 jet fighter. Three different versions of the plane are being developed, and a total of 2,457 copies are to be manufactured by 2035. (See our first set of F-35 facts here.)
.5 |
Current number of “flying hours between failures” for the Marine Corps F-35 (a statistical mean) |
2.6 |
Current number of “flying hours between failures” for the Air Force F-35 |
4 |
Required number of “flying hours between failures” for the Marine Corps F-35 |
6 |
Required number of “flying hours between failures” for the Air Force F-35 |
73 |
Percentage increase in cost of F-35 engine since development began in 2002 |
365 |
Number of planes the Pentagon says it will build by 2017 |
1,591 |
Number of planes the Pentagon said ten years ago that it would build by 2017 |
$22,500 |
Cost to fly the F-16 – which the F-35 is replacing – for one hour |
$35,200 |
Cost to fly the F-35 for one hour (if current Air Force targets are met) |
$672 million |
Taxpayer’s share of a billion dollars in cost overruns on early F-35 production contracts |
Source:“Joint Strike Fighter,” Government Accountability Office, June 2012, GAO-12-437
Read more in National Security
National Security
U.S. points finger, and arms exports, at human rights abusers
The State Department decries repression in the countries where it promotes the purchase of U.S. weaponry
Join the conversation
Show Comments